Another case of documents forged to register marriage comes to light; Police lodge FIR based on sub-registrar’s complaint; questions raised over probe into March 2024 case
MARGAO
The ghost of forged residence certificates used as genuine for the purpose of registration of marriages has come back to haunt the Office of Salcete Sub-Registrar.
After a forged residence certificate was detected by Salcete Sub-Registrar Suraj Vernekar in March 2024, a second case has come to light recently wherein documents were allegedly forged as genuine to register marriage.
Based on the Sub-Registrar’s complaint, the Fatorda police have registered an FIR against the parties, but questions are raised in the corridors of the Sub-Registrar office and in legal circles whether the police have managed to take investigations in the last year’s case to its logical conclusion.
Like in the March 2024 case, the Fatorda police have registered an FIR against the parties, but a host of questions have come to the fore, how and who is involved in forging documents, whether the documents are being forged by an organised racket, etc and whether the police have been successful in unearthing the racket involved in the exercise.
In the instant case, the Sub Registrar, in his complaint stated that a forged residence certificate dated 20/12/2024, issued by a Joint Mamlatdar, Salcete is submitted to the office for the purpose of registration of marriage. “The same certificate number was verified on the Goa online portal and it is found that no records exist against the certificate number,” Vernekar stated.
The Sub Registrar reminded the Fatorda police that his office had earlier filed similar complaint vide letter no. CR/SR/SAL/732/2024 dated March 7, 2024. He, however, lamented that no action has been initiated.
Saying that non cognizance of the complaint is resulting in further such illegal practice, the Sub Registrar has stated in his complaint that the matter is required to be taken seriously.
Police sources informed that the Fatorda police had registered a case against two persons, residents of Fatorda and Ponda in connection with the FIR registered in March 2024.
Advocates panel petitions South Goa SP to probe into fraudulent marriage registrations
MARGAO: The South Goa Advocates Association has petitioned the South Goa Superintendent of Police to register offences and probe the fraudulent registration of marriages in the office of Sub-Registrar, Margao by using forged documents.
In the petition, Association president Prasad Naik stated that it has come the association’s notice that numerous instances of forged residence certificates are being used to register marriages, in the Sub Registrar Office at Margao, compromising the integrity of the marriage registration process.
“The registration of marriages in the State of Goa mandates the production of certain documents, including a residence certificate. It is compulsory that one of the parties getting married, should submit his/ her residence certificate to show that such person has his residence in the State of Goa. It has been observed that some individuals are obtaining forged residence certificates to facilitate the registration of marriages, often with ulterior motives,” Naik said.
He added: “Such forged residence certificates are being issued by agents or touts, who sometimes fraudulently portray themselves as advocates, thereby tarnishing the reputation of the legal fraternity. Upon inquiries conducted in the office of the Sub Registrar of Salcete, we have been informed that the Sub Registrar has already informed about such fraudulent cases to the police. However, astonishingly, the police have not acted on such complaints and this creates an impression that the touts receive patronage. Non-action by the police encourages the criminals to continue with their criminal acts and also raises a serious issue on whether such criminals act in connivance with the authorities.”
The Association has filed the petition before the district police chief based on the documents collected from the Office of the Sub-Registrar of Salcete under Right to Information Act. “It has also come to our knowledge that not only fake residence certificates, but also other fake and forged documents are being issued in the Sub Registrar Office at Salcete such as certificates for name correction, etc,” the petition added.
